On September 13, 2024, SpaceX made history by sending four civilian astronauts on a five-day mission farther from Earth than any crewed voyage since the 1972 Apollo mission.
Crewed by billionaire Jared Isaacman, an ex-military pilot and two SpaceX engineers, the Polaris Dawn was launched on Tuesday, September 10.
Image: Instagram/Polarisprogram
One of the key aims of the mission was to test SpaceX’s inhouse spacesuit's flexibility.
Image: Instagram/Polarisprogram
Lasting 1 hour 40 minutes, the spacewalk featured Isaacman and SpaceX’s Sarah Gillis, weightlessly stretching their arms and legs to test the suit’s durability while being tethered to the probe.
Image: X/Polarisprogram
While in space, the crew conducted tests and experiments, including evaluating Starlink’s laser communication and the effects of long-duration space travel on the human body, etc.
Image: Instagram/Polarisprogram
This mission writes a new chapter for commercial space flight endeavours, and presents a giant leap of possibilities for the future of space exploration.
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